Eremophila mackinlayi

Location & distribution maps

Common name:         ...

Conservation status: Not threatened

• Both subspecies are classified as "not threatened" by the Western Australian Government Department of Parks and Wildlife

Etymology:   

• Eremophila is derived from the Ancient Greek ἐρῆμος (erêmos) meaning "lonely" or "desert" and φίλος (phílos) meaning “dear" or "beloved” alluding to the species' adaptation to arid environments

• The specific epithet (mackinlayi) honours the explorer John McKinlay

Flowers:                  

• The flowers are borne singly in leaf axils on a hairy stalk which is up to 1.5 mm (0.06 in) long and, unlike those of E. hygrophana, are densely clustered near the ends of the branches

• There are 5 hairy, narrow triangular to lance-shaped sepals which are 8.5–13.5 mm long

• The petals are 25–35 mm long and are joined at their lower end to form a tube

• The petal tube is deep lilac-coloured to purple on the outside, white without spots inside

• The outside of the tube and petal lobes is covered with branched hairs, the inside of the lobes is glabrous and the inside of the tube is densely woolly

• The 4 stamens are fully enclosed in the petal tube

• Flowering occurs from May to October 

Fruit:                         

• Oval or bottle-shaped, with a dense covering of woolly hairs and are 7.5–10 mm long

Leaves:         

• Covered with a thick layer of yellow to grey branched hairs but lack the glandular hairs present on the foliage of E. strongylphylla and the simple hairs of E. hygrophana

• The leaves have a stalk about 2–5 mm long and a blade that is mostly 10–30 mm long, 7–14 mm wide

• They are egg-shaped to lance-shaped, sometimes wavy, with an obvious mid-vein on the lower surface

Stem & branches: 

• Covered with a thick layer of yellow to grey branched hairs but lack the glandular hairs present on the foliage of E. strongylphylla and the simple hairs of E. hygrophana

Roots:         

Habit:        

• Sometimes a spreading shrub, other times erect, growing to a height of 0.2–1 m 

Distribution and habitat:                  

• Subspecies mackinlayi occurs in near-coastal areas between Shark Bay and Carnarvon in the Carnarvon and Murchison biogeographic regions; it grows in calcareous and sandy soils, often in mulga woodland

• Subspecies spathulata occurs between Leonora, Wooleen and Mullewa in the Carnarvon, Murchison and Yalgoo biogeographic regions.; it usually grows in red-brown loam near drainage channels in mulga woodland

Additional notes:     

• Taxonomy and naming

  • Eremophila mackinlayi was first formally described in 1864 by Victorian Government Botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in Fragmenta phytographiae Australiae

  • Two subspecies are currently recognised:

    • E.mackinlayi F.Muell. subsp. mackinlayi has leaves which are elliptic, egg-shaped or almost circular and which are scattered along the branches

    • E. mackinlayi subsp. spathulata Chinnock has leaves that are spoon-shaped, or egg-shaped with the narrow end towards the base, and which are clustered at the ends of the branches

• Use in horticulture

  • The felt-like leaves of this eremophila as well as its massed display of blue flowers on the end of its branches are attractive features

  • It can be grown from cuttings but grafting is the preferred option if the plant is to be grown in southern Australia, to help reduce fungal infection causing dieback in winter

  • It grows best in well-drained soil when grown on its own roots, in full sun or partial shade and in an area with good air flow

  • It only needs occasional watering during long droughts and is moderately frost hardy

Sources of information:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eremophila_mackinlayi (2024)